Semiconductor circuit

ABSTRACT

A semiconductor circuit includes a first logic gate that receives inputs of a first input signal, a clock signal and a feedback signal and performs a first logical operation to output a first output signal. A second logic gate that receives inputs of the first output signal of the first logic gate, the clock signal, and an inverted output signal of the first input signal and performs a second logical operation to output the feedback signal.

This application claims priority from Korean Patent Application No.10-2015-0123745 filed on Sep. 1, 2015, and Korean Patent Application No.10-2016-0015527 filed on Feb. 11, 2016, in the Korean IntellectualProperty Office, the disclosures of which are incorporated herein byreference in their entirety.

BACKGROUND OF THE DISCLOSURE

1. Field of the Disclosure

The present disclosure relates to a semiconductor circuit.

2. Description of the Related Art

In order to design chips that operate at high speed, designs of ahigh-speed flip-flop and a high-speed clock gating circuit (or a clockgate) are important. Although existing D latch-based flip-flops andclock gating circuits occupy small areas and consume relatively littlepower, there are limitations due to a data-to-output latency (DQlatency) that is relatively too slow to be applied to the high-speedchip.

SUMMARY OF THE DISCLOSURE

Aspects of the present disclosure provide a semiconductor circuit thatoperates at high speed.

However, aspects of the present disclosure are not restricted to thoseset forth herein. The above and other aspects of the present disclosurethat have not been mentioned will become more apparent to one ofordinary skill in the art to which the present disclosure pertains byreferencing the detailed description of the present disclosure givenbelow.

According to an aspect of the present disclosure, there is provided asemiconductor circuit including a first logic gate that receives inputsof a first input signal, a clock signal and a feedback signal andperforms a first logical operation to output a first output signal. Asecond logic gate receives inputs of the first output signal of thefirst logic gate, the clock signal, and an inverted output signal of thefirst input signal and performs a second logical operation to output thefeedback signal.

According to another aspect of the present disclosure, there is provideda semiconductor circuit including a first logic gate that receivesinputs of a first input signal, a clock signal, and a feedback signaland performs a first logical operation to output a first output signal.A second logic gate receives inputs of a first input signal and afeedback signal and performs a second logical operation. A third logicgate receives inputs of a first output signal of the first logic gate,the clock signal, and an output signal of the second logic gate andperforms a third logical operation to output the feedback signal.

According to still another aspect of the present disclosure, there isprovided a semiconductor circuit including a first logic gate thatreceives inputs of a second input signal, a clock signal, and a feedbacksignal and performs a second logical operation to output a first outputsignal. The second input signal is generated by performing a firstsub-logical operation on an inverted signal of the first output signaland a first input signal. A second logic gate receives inputs of thefirst input signal and the feedback signal to perform a first logicaloperation. A third logic gate receives inputs of a first output signalof the first logic gate, the clock signal, and an output signal of thesecond logic gate and performs a second logical operation to output thefeedback signal.

According to still another aspect of the present disclosure, there isprovided a semiconductor circuit having a logic circuit that receives aD signal and a clock signal and generates a feedback signal and anoutput signal based on the received D signal and clock signal. Theoutput signal is an inverse digital representation of the clock signalwhen the D signal has a high digital state, and the feedback signal isan inverse digital representation of the clock signal when the D signalhas a low digital state.

These and other aspects, embodiments and advantages of the presentdisclosure will become immediately apparent to those of ordinary skillin the art upon review of the Detailed Description and Claims to follow.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

The above and other aspects and features of the present disclosure willbecome more apparent by describing in detail exemplary embodimentsthereof with reference to the attached drawings, in which:

FIG. 1 is a circuit diagram illustrating a semiconductor circuitaccording to an embodiment of the present disclosure;

FIG. 2 is a timing chart for explaining an operation of thesemiconductor circuit of FIG. 1;

FIG. 3 is a circuit diagram illustrating a semiconductor circuitaccording to another embodiment of the present disclosure;

FIG. 4 is a circuit diagram illustrating a semiconductor circuitaccording to still another embodiment of the present disclosure;

FIG. 5 is a circuit diagram illustrating a semiconductor circuitaccording to still another embodiment of the present disclosure;

FIG. 6 is a circuit diagram illustrating a semiconductor circuitaccording to still another embodiment of the present disclosure;

FIG. 7 is a circuit diagram illustrating a semiconductor circuitaccording to still another embodiment of the present disclosure;

FIG. 8 is a circuit diagram illustrating a semiconductor circuitaccording to still another embodiment of the present disclosure;

FIG. 9 is a circuit diagram illustrating a semiconductor circuitaccording to still another embodiment of the present disclosure;

FIG. 10 is a timing chart for explaining the operation of thesemiconductor circuit of FIG. 9;

FIG. 11 is a circuit diagram illustrating a semiconductor circuitaccording to still another embodiment of the present disclosure;

FIG. 12 is a circuit diagram illustrating a semiconductor circuitaccording to still another embodiment of the present disclosure;

FIG. 13 is a circuit diagram illustrating a semiconductor circuitaccording to still another embodiment of the present disclosure;

FIG. 14 is a circuit diagram illustrating a semiconductor circuitaccording to still another embodiment of the present disclosure;

FIG. 15 is a timing chart for explaining the operation of thesemiconductor circuit of FIG. 14;

FIG. 16 is a circuit diagram illustrating a semiconductor circuitaccording to still another embodiment of the present disclosure;

FIG. 17 is a circuit diagram illustrating a semiconductor circuitaccording to still another embodiment of the present disclosure;

FIG. 18 is a circuit diagram illustrating a semiconductor circuitaccording to still another embodiment of the present disclosure;

FIG. 19 is a block diagram of an SoC system including the semiconductorcircuit according to the embodiments of the present disclosure;

FIG. 20 is a block diagram of an electronic system including thesemiconductor circuit according to the embodiments of the presentdisclosure; and

FIGS. 21 to 23 are exemplary semiconductor systems to which thesemiconductor circuits according to some embodiments of the presentdisclosure are applicable.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE DISCLOSURE

Embodiments will be described in detail with reference to theaccompanying drawings. The disclosure, however, may be embodied invarious different forms, and should not be construed as being limitedonly to the illustrated embodiments. Rather, these embodiments areprovided as examples so that this disclosure will be thorough andcomplete, and will fully convey the concept of the disclosure to thoseskilled in the art. Accordingly, known processes, elements, andtechniques are not described with respect to some of the embodiments ofthe disclosure. Unless otherwise noted, like reference numerals denotelike elements throughout the attached drawings and written description,and thus descriptions will not be repeated. In the drawings, the sizesand relative sizes of layers and regions may be exaggerated for clarity.

Advantages and features of the present disclosure and methods ofaccomplishing the same may be understood more readily by reference tothe following detailed description of preferred embodiments and theaccompanying drawings.

FIG. 1 is a circuit diagram illustrating a semiconductor circuitaccording to an embodiment of the present disclosure.

Referring to FIG. 1, a semiconductor circuit 100 according to anembodiment of the present disclosure includes a logic gate GL1 and alogic gate GF.

The logic gate GL1 receives inputs of an input signal D, a clock signalCK and a feedback signal FB and performs a first logical operation tooutput an output signal LAT1.

In the present embodiment, the logic gate GL1 may include a 3 input NANDlogic gate. In this case, the first logical operation may be a NANDlogical operation. Here, the 3 input NAND logic gate is a logic gatethat receives three input signals, outputs the value of logic “0” onlywhen all the three input signals correspond to a value of logic “1”, andoutputs the value of logic “1” in all other cases.

The logic gate GF receives the output signal LAT1 of the logic gate GL1,the clock signal CK and an inverted output signal of the input signal Dand performs the second logical operation to output the feedback signalFB.

In the present embodiment, the logic gate GF may include a 3 input NANDlogic gate. In this case, the second logical operation may be a NANDlogical operation.

The semiconductor circuit according to various embodiments of thepresent disclosure described below may also be modified using differentlogic gates that perform the same operation, depending on the actualachievement purposes. For example, in the present embodiment, asdescribed above, although both the logic gates GL1, GF may be providedas NAND logic gates that perform the NAND logical operation, both thelogic gates GL1, GF may also be provided as NOR logic gates that performthe NOR logical operation. In this case, the input signal input to thelogic gates GL1, GF or the output signal output from the logic gatesGL1, GF may have inverted logical values different from theabove-mentioned configuration as required. For example, when provided asthe NAND logic gate, if the logic gate GL1 sets (logic “1”, logic “0”,and logic “1”) as inputs and sets logic “0” as an output, when providedas the NOR logic gate, the logic gate GL1 may set (the logic “0”, thelogic “1” and the logic “0”) as inputs and may set the logic “1” as theoutput.

That is, in some embodiments of the present disclosure, the logic gateGL1 may include the 3 input NOR logic gate. In this case, the firstlogical operation may be a NOR logical operation. Here, the 3 input NORlogic gate is a logic gate that receives three input signals, outputsthe value of the logic “1” only when all the three input signalscorrespond to the value of the logic “0”, and outputs the value of thelogic “0” in all other cases. Meanwhile, the logic gate GF may include a3 input NOR logic gate. In this case, a second logical operation may bea NOR logical operation.

Such a replacement relation is applicable to all the various embodimentsof the disclosure described below, the AND logical operation may bereplaced by an OR logical operation, the OR logical operation may bereplaced by an AND logical operation, the NAND logical operation may bereplaced by a NOR logical operation, and the NOR logical operation maybe replaced by a NAND logical operation. That is, although the variouscircuits described below are mainly expressed by the NAND logic gate, itis obvious to those skilled in the art of the semiconductor circuit thatthe NOR logic gate having the same function may be used depending on theachievement method. In this case, the values of the input signals inputto the logic gates for performing each of the logical operations and theoutput signals output from the logic gates may be changed to invertedlogical values as required.

Meanwhile, hereinafter, the value of the logic “1” will be expressed by“H”, and the value of the logic “0” will be expressed by “L”.

Meanwhile, in some embodiments of the present disclosure, thesemiconductor circuit 100 may further include an inverter G1. Theinverter G1 receives the input of the input signal D and performs aninversion logical operation to output the inverted signal of the inputsignal D. The inverted signal becomes an input signal of the logic gateGF.

FIG. 2 is a timing chart for explaining the operation of thesemiconductor circuit of FIG. 1.

The operation of the semiconductor circuit 100 of FIG. 1 will bedescribed with reference to FIG. 2.

In time sections t1 to t3 and t10 to t12, the value of the input signalD is L. In this case, since the value of one input signal of the threeinput signals of the logic gate GL1 is L, the value of the output signalLAT1 of the logic gate GL1 becomes H in accordance with the result ofthe NAND logical operation. In particular, since the value L of theinput signal D is always input to the logic gate GL1, the value of theoutput signal LAT1 is constant H, irrespective of the value of the clocksignal CK.

Meanwhile, in this case, because the inverted signal of the input signalD and the output signal LAT1 of the logic gate GL1 among the three inputsignals of the logic gate GF are H, the feedback signal FB which is anoutput signal of the logic gate GF has a value of the inverted signal ofthe clock signal CK in accordance with the result of the NAND logicaloperations. That is, when the clock signal CK is L, the feedback signalFB is H, and when the clock signal CK is H, the feedback signal FB is L.

In the time sections t3 to t10, the value of the input signal D is H.

First, when examining a case where the clock signal CK is L, because thevalue of one input signal among the three input signals of the logicgate GL1 is L, i.e., the value of the clock signal CK is L, the value ofthe output signal LAT1 of the logic gate GL1 becomes H in accordancewith the result of the NAND logical operation.

Meanwhile, in this case, because the value of one input signal among thethree input signals of the logic gate GF is L, i.e., the value of theinverted signal of the input signal D is L, the value of the feedbacksignal FB that is the output signal of the logic gate GF also becomes Hin accordance with the result of the NAND logical operation. Inparticular, since the value L of the inverted signal of the input signalD is always input to the logic gate GF, the value of the feedback signalFB is constant H, irrespective of the value of the clock signal CK.

When examining the logic gate GL1 again, because both of the value ofthe input signal D and the value of the feedback signal FB are H, theoutput signal LAT1 of the logic gate GL1 has a value of the invertedsignal of the clock signal CK in accordance with the result of the NANDlogical operation. That is, when the clock signal CK is L, the outputsignal LAT1 is H, and when the clock signal CK is H, the output signalLAT1 is L.

Such a semiconductor circuit 100 may be applied as a clock gatingcircuit that selectively outputs the clock signal CK, depending on thevalue of the input signal D.

FIG. 3 is a circuit diagram illustrating a semiconductor circuitaccording to another embodiment of the present disclosure.

Referring to FIG. 3, a semiconductor circuit 110 according to anotherembodiment of the present disclosure differs from the semiconductorcircuit 100 of FIG. 1 in that the former has an enable signal E and ascan-enable signal SE as input signals.

There is still another difference in that the logic gate GL1 of FIG. 1is replaced by a composite logic gate 112 that receives the inputs of anenable signal E, a scan-enable signal SE, a clock signal CK and afeedback signal FB to perform a first sub-logical operation and a secondsub-logical operation. Specifically, the composite logic gate 112 mayperform a first sub-logical operation on the enable signal E and thescan-enable signal SE to generate a first intermediate signal, and mayperform a second sub-logical operation on the first intermediate signal,the clock signal CK and the feedback signal FB to output the firstoutput signal LAT1. In the present embodiment, each of the firstsub-logical operation and the second sub-logical operation may be an ORlogical operation and a NAND logical operation. Thus, the compositelogic gate 112 may be an OR-NAND composite logic gate.

Further, there is another difference in that the semiconductor circuit110 includes a logic gate G3 which receives the inputs of the enablesignal E and the scan-enable signal SE to perform the NOR logicaloperation, instead of the inverter G1 of FIG. 1.

There is still another difference in that the semiconductor circuit 110further includes an inverter G2 that receives the input of the outputsignal LAT1 and performs the inversion logical operation to output theoutput signal ECK.

Thus, the semiconductor circuit 110 may operate as a high-speed clockgating circuit that receives the enable signal E and the scan-enablesignal SE as the input.

Meanwhile, in some other embodiments of the present disclosure, thecomposite logic gate 112 may also be provided as an AND-NOR compositelogic gate that performs each of the AND logical operation and the NORlogical operation as the first sub-logical operation and the secondsub-logical operation. In this case, each of the logic gate GF and thelogic gate G3 may be provided as each of the 3 input NOR logic gate andthe NAND logic gate to perform the same operation as the semiconductorcircuit of the above-described present embodiment.

FIG. 4 is a circuit diagram illustrating a semiconductor circuitaccording to still another embodiment of the present disclosure.

Referring to FIG. 4, a semiconductor circuit 120 according to stillanother embodiment of the present disclosure differs from thesemiconductor circuit 100 of FIG. 1 in that the former further includesa latch 128. The latch 128 receives the output signal LAT1 and theinverted signal of the clock signal CK to output an output signal Q.Although the latch 128 is expressed by a D latch in FIG. 4 forconvenience of explanation, the scope of the present disclosure is notlimited thereto. In some embodiments of the present disclosure, thelatch 128 may be provided as an R-S latch.

Thus, the semiconductor circuit 120 may operate as a flip-flop thatpropagates the input signal D to the output in a section of the clocksignal CK that is H, and stores its value in a section of the clocksignal CK that is L.

FIG. 5 is a circuit diagram illustrating a semiconductor circuitaccording to still another embodiment of the present disclosure.

Referring to FIG. 5, a semiconductor circuit 130 according to stillanother embodiment of the present disclosure differs from thesemiconductor circuit 100 of FIG. 1 in that the logic gate GL1 of FIG. 1is replaced by a composite logic gate 132 that receives the inputs ofthe input signal D, the scan-enable signal SE, the clock signal CK andthe feedback signal FB to perform the first sub-logical operation andthe second sub-logical operation. Specifically, the composite logic gate132 may perform the first sub-logical operation on the input signal Dand the scan-enable signal SE to generate a first intermediate signal,and may perform the second sub-logical operation on the firstintermediate signal, the clock signal CK and the feedback signal FB tooutput the first output signal LAT1. In the present embodiment, each ofthe first sub-logical operation and the second sub-logical operation maybe an OR logical operation and a NAND logical operation. Thus, thecomposite logic gate 132 may be an OR-NAND composite logic gate.

There is another difference in that the semiconductor circuit 130further includes a logic gate G3 that receives the inputs of the inputsignal D and the scan-enable signal SE to perform the NOR logicaloperation, instead of the inverter G1 of FIG. 1.

There is still another difference in that the logic gate GF of FIG. 1 isreplaced by a composite logic gate 134 that receives the inputs of theoutput signal of the logic gate G3, the clock signal CK, the scan-enablesignal SE, the inverse of a scan input signal SI and the output signalLAT1 to perform a third sub-logical operation, a fourth sub-logicaloperation, a fifth sub-logical operation and a sixth sub-logicaloperation. Specifically, the composite logic gate 134 performs the thirdsub-logical operation on the clock signal CK and the output signal ofthe NOR logic gate G3 to generate a second intermediate signal, performsthe fourth sub-logical operation on the scan-enable signal SE and theinverted signal of the scan input signal SI to generate a thirdintermediate signal, performs the fifth sub-logical operation on thesecond intermediate signal and the third intermediate signal to generatea fourth intermediate signal, and performs the sixth sub-logicaloperation on the first output signal LAT1 and the fourth intermediatesignal to output the feedback signal FB. In the present embodiment, eachof the third sub-logical operation through the sixth sub-logicaloperation may be the AND logical operation, the AND logical operation,the OR logical operation and the NAND logical operation. Thus, thecomposite logic gate 134 may be a 2AND-OR-NAND composite logic gate.

There is a still another difference in that the semiconductor circuit130 further includes a latch 138. The latch 138 receives the outputsignal LAT1 and the inverted signal of the clock signal CK to output anoutput signal Q. In FIG. 5, although the latch 138 is expressed by a Dlatch for convenience of explanation, the scope of the presentdisclosure is not limited thereto. In some embodiments of the presentdisclosure, the latch 138 may be provided as an R-S latch.

Thus, the semiconductor circuit 130 may operate as a multiplexer typescan flip-flop that uses the scan-enable signal SE as a selectionsignal. For example, when the scan-enable signal SE is L, the value ofthe input signal D is stored in the flip-flop, and when the scan-enablesignal SE is H, the scan input signal SI is stored in the flip-flop. Itis particularly noted that a relatively simple composite logic gate 132is disposed on a path of the input signal D, and a relativelycomplicated composite logic gate 134 is disposed on a path of the scaninput signal SI.

Meanwhile, in some other embodiments of the present disclosure, thecomposite logic gate 132 may be provided as an AND-NOR composite logicgate that performs each of the AND logical operation and the NOR logicaloperation as the first sub-logical operation and the second sub-logicaloperation, and the composite logic gate 134 may be provided as a2OR-AND-NOR composite logic gate that performs each of the OR logicaloperation, the OR logical operation, the AND logical operation and theNOR logical operation as the third the sub-logical operation through thesixth sub-logical operation. In this case, the gate G3 is provided asthe NAND logic gate and may perform the same operation as thesemiconductor circuit of the above-described present embodiment.

FIG. 6 is a circuit diagram illustrating a semiconductor circuitaccording to still another embodiment of the present disclosure.

Referring to FIG. 6, a semiconductor circuit 140 according to stillanother embodiment differs from the semiconductor circuit 130 of FIG. 5in that the composite logic gate 134 of FIG. 5 is replaced by acomposite logic gate 144 that receives the inputs of the output signalof the NOR logic gate G3, the clock signal CK, an inversion of a scaninput-enable signal SIE and the output signal LAT1 to perform the thirdsub-logical operation, the fourth sub-logical operation and the fifthsub-logical operation. Specifically, the composite logic gate 144performs the third sub-logical operation on the clock signal CK and theoutput signal of the NOR logic gate G3 to generate a second intermediatesignal, performs the fourth sub-logical operation on the secondintermediate signal and the inverted signal of the scan input-enablesignal SIE to generate a third intermediate signal, and performs thefifth sub-logical operation on the output signal LAT1 and the thirdintermediate signal to output the feedback signal FB. In the presentembodiment, the third sub-logical operation through the fifthsub-logical operation may be each of the AND logical operation, the ORlogical operation and the NAND logical operation. Thus, the compositelogic gate 144 may be an AND-OR-NAND composite logic gate.

Here, the scan input-enable signal SIE may be generated by sequentiallyperforming a NAND logical operation and an inverse logical operation onthe scan-enable signal SE and the inverted signal of the scan inputsignal SI, using the logic gates G5 and G4.

There is another difference in that the semiconductor circuit 140includes a circuit 148 that includes a logic gate GL2B for performingthe NAND logical operation on the inverse of the clock signal CK, whichis inverted by inverter gate GL3, and the output signal LAT2, and alogic gate GL2 for performing the NAND logical operation on the outputsignal B of the logic gate GL2B and the output signal LAT1, in place ofthe latch 138 of FIG. 5, to produce an inverse of output signal Q.

Thus, the semiconductor circuit 140 may operate as a multiplexer typescan flip-flop that uses the scan-enable signal SE as a selectionsignal.

Meanwhile, in some other embodiments of the present disclosure, thecomposite logic gate 142 may be provided as an AND-NOR composite logicgate that performs each of the AND logical operation and the NOR logicaloperations as the first sub-logical operation and the second sub-logicaloperation, and the composite logic gate 144 may be provided as anOR-AND-NOR composite logic gate that performs each of the OR logicaloperation, the AND logical operation and the NOR logical operation asthe third sub-logical operations through fifth sub-logical operations.In this case, each of the gate G3 and the gate G5 may be provided as theNAND logic gate and the NOR logic gate to perform the same operation asthe semiconductor circuit of the above-described present embodiment.

FIG. 7 is a circuit diagram illustrating a semiconductor circuitaccording to still another embodiment of the present disclosure.

Referring to FIG. 7, a semiconductor circuit 150 according to stillanother embodiment of the present disclosure differs from thesemiconductor circuit 100 of FIG. 1 in that the logic gate GL1 of FIG. 1is replaced by a composite logic gate 152 that receives the inputs of aninput signal D0, an input signal D1, a scan-enable signal SE, a clocksignal CK and a feedback signal FB to perform the first sub-logicaloperation and the second sub-logical operation. Specifically, thecomposite logic gate 152 performs the first sub-logical operation on theinput signal D0, the input signal D1 and the scan-enable signal SE togenerate a first intermediate signal, and performs the secondsub-logical operation on the first intermediate signal, the clock signalCK and the feedback signal FB to output a first output signal LAT1. Inthe present embodiment, each of the first sub-logical operation and thesecond sub-logical operation may be the OR logical operation and theNAND logical operation. Thus, the composite logic gate 152 may be anOR-NAND composite logic gate.

There is another difference in that the semiconductor circuit 150further includes a logic gate G6 that receives the inputs of the inputsignal D0, the input signal D1 and the scan-enable signal SE to performthe NOR logical operation, instead of the inverter G1 of FIG. 1. In someembodiments of the present disclosure, the logic gate G6 may be providedas a 3 input NOR logic gate.

There is still another difference in that the logic gate GF of FIG. 1 isreplaced by a composite logic gate 154 that receives the inputs of theoutput signal of the NOR logic gate G6, the clock signal CK, thescan-enable signal SE, the inverted signal of the scan input signal SIand the output signal LAT1 to perform the third sub-logical operation,the fourth sub-logical operation, the fifth sub-logical operation andthe sixth sub-logical operation. Specifically, the composite logic gate154 performs the third sub-logical operation on the clock signal CK andthe output signal of the logic gate G6 to generate a second intermediatesignal, performs the fourth sub-logical operation on the scan-enablesignal SE and the inverted signal of the scan input signal SI togenerate a third intermediate signal, performs the fifth sub-logicaloperation on the second intermediate signal and the third intermediatesignal to generate a fourth intermediate signal, and performs the sixthsub-logical operation on the first output signal LAT1 and the fourthintermediate signal to output a feedback signal FB. In the presentembodiment, the third sub-logical operation through the sixthsub-logical operation may be each of the AND logical operation, the ANDlogical operation, the OR logical operation and the NAND logicaloperation. Thus, the composite logic gate 154 may be a 2AND-OR-NANDcomposite logic gate.

Thus, the semiconductor circuit 150 may operate as a multiplexer typescan flip-flop that uses the scan-enable signal SE including the ORlogic of the input signal D0 and the input signal D1 as the selectionsignals.

Meanwhile, in some other embodiments of the present disclosure, thecomposite logic gate 152 may be provided as an AND-NOR composite logicgate that performs each of the AND logical operation and the NOR logicaloperation as the first sub-logical operation and the second sub-logicaloperation, and the composite logic gate 134 may be provided as a2OR-AND-NOR composite logic gate that performs each of the OR logicaloperation, the OR logical operation, the AND logical operation and theNOR logical operation as the third sub-logical operation through thesixth sub-logical operation. In this case, the gate G3 may be providedas a 3 input NAND logic gate to perform the same operation as thesemiconductor circuit of the above-described present embodiment.

Additionally, the semiconductor circuit 150 may include a latch 158 thatoperates similarly to latch 128 described above in connection with FIG.4.

FIG. 8 is a circuit diagram illustrating a semiconductor circuitaccording to still another embodiment of the present disclosure.

Referring to FIG. 8, a semiconductor circuit 160 according to stillanother embodiment of the present disclosure differs from thesemiconductor circuit 100 of FIG. 1 in that the logic gate GL1 of FIG. 1is replaced by a composite logic gate 162 that receives the inputs ofthe input signal D0, the input signal D1, the scan-enable signal SE, theclock signal CK and the feedback signal FB to perform the firstsub-logical operation, the second sub-logical operation and the thirdsub-logical operation. Specifically, the composite logic gate 162performs the first sub-logical operation on the input signal D0 and theinput signal D1 to generate a first intermediate signal, performs thesecond sub-logical operation on the first intermediate signal and thescan-enable signal SE to generate a second intermediate signal, andperforms the third sub-logical operation on the second intermediatesignal, the clock signal CK and the feedback signal FB to output a firstoutput signal LAT1. In the present embodiment, each of the firstsub-logical operation through the third sub-logical operation may be theAND logical operation, the OR logical operation and the NAND logicaloperation. Thus, the composite logic gate 162 may be an AND-OR-NANDcomposite logic gate.

There is another difference in that the semiconductor circuit 160includes a composite logic gate 166 that receives the inputs of theinput signal D0, the input signal D1 and the scan-enable signal SE toperform the fourth sub-logical operation and the fifth sub-logicaloperation, instead of the inverter G1 of FIG. 1. The composite logicgate 166 performs the fourth sub-logical operation on the input signalD0 and the input signal D1 to generate a third intermediate signal, andperforms the fifth sub-logical operation on the third intermediatesignal and the scan-enable signal SE. In the present embodiment, each ofthe fourth sub-logical operation and the fifth sub-logical operationsmay be the AND logical operation and the NOR logical operation, which isprovided by NOR gate G6. Thus, the composite logic gate 166 may be anAND-NOR composite logic gate.

There is still another difference in that the logic gate GF of FIG. 1 isreplaced by a composite logic gate 164 that receives the inputs of theoutput signal of the composite logic gate 166, the clock signal CK, thescan-enable signal SE, the inverted signal of the scan input signal SIand the output signal LAT1 to perform the sixth sub-logical operation,the seventh sub-logical operation, the eighth sub-logical operation andthe ninth sub-logical operation. Specifically, the composite logic gate164 performs the sixth sub-logical operation on the clock signal CK andthe output signal of the composite logic gate 166 to generate a fourthintermediate signal, performs the seventh sub-logical operation on thescan-enable signal SE and the inverted signal of the scan input signalSI to generate a fifth intermediate signal, performs the eighthsub-logical operation on the fourth intermediate signal and the fifthintermediate signal to generate a sixth intermediate signal, andperforms the ninth sub-logical operation on the first output signal LAT1and the sixth intermediate signal to output a feedback signal FB. In thepresent embodiment, each of the sixth sub-logical operation to the ninthsub-logical operation may be the AND logical operation, the AND logicaloperation, the OR logical operation and the NAND logical operation.Thus, the composite logic gate 164 may be a 2AND-OR-NAND composite logicgate.

Additionally, the semiconductor circuit 160 may include a latch 168 thatoperates similarly to latch 128 described above in connection with FIG.4.

Thus, the semiconductor circuit 160 may operate as a multiplexer typescan flip-flop that uses the scan-enable signal SE including the ANDlogic of the input signal D0 and the input signal D1 as the selectionsignal.

Meanwhile, in some other embodiments of the present disclosure, thecomposite logic gate 162 is provided as an OR-AND-NOR composite logicgate that performs each of the OR logical operation, the AND logicaloperation and the NOR logical operation as the first sub-logicaloperation through the third sub-logical operation. The composite logicgate 166 is provided as an OR-NAND composite logic gate that performseach of the OR logical operation and the NAND logical operation as thefourth sub-logical operation and the fifth sub-logical operation. Thecomposite logic gate 164 is provided as a 2OR-AND-NOR composite logicgate that performs each of the OR logical operation, the OR logicaloperation, the AND logical operation and the NOR logical operation asthe sixth sub-logical operation through the ninth sub-logical operation.Thus, the semiconductor circuit may perform the same operation as thesemiconductor circuit of the above-described present embodiment.

FIG. 9 is a circuit diagram illustrating a semiconductor circuitaccording to still another embodiment of the present disclosure.

Referring to FIG. 9, a semiconductor circuit 200 according to anotherembodiment of the present disclosure includes a logic gate GL1, a logicgate G7 and a logic gate GF.

The logic gate GL1 receives the inputs of the input signal D, the clocksignal CK and the feedback signal FB and performs the first logicaloperation to output an output signal LAT1.

In the present embodiment, the logic gate GL1 may include a 3 input NANDlogic gate. In this case, the first logical operation may be a NANDlogical operation.

The logic gate G7 receives the inputs of the input signal D and thefeedback signal FB to perform a second logical operation.

In the present embodiment, the logic gate G7 may include a NAND logicgate. In this case, the second logical operation may be a NAND logicaloperation.

The logic gate GF receives the inputs of the output signal LAT1 of thelogic gate GL1, the clock signal CK and the output of logic gate G7 andperforms the third logical operation to output the feedback signal FB.

In the present embodiment, the logic gate GF may include a 3 input NANDlogic gate. In this case, the third logical operation may be a NANDlogical operation.

As described above in connection with FIG. 1, the semiconductor circuitaccording to various embodiments of the present disclosure may also bemodified using different logic gates that perform the same operation,depending on the actual achievement purposes.

For example, in some other embodiments of the present disclosure, thelogic gate GL1 is provided as a 3 input NOR logic gate that performs theNOR logical operation as the first logical operation, and the logic gateG7 is provided as a NOR logic gate that performs the NOR logicaloperation as the second logical operation, and the logic gate GF isprovided as a 3 input NOR logic gate that performs the NOR logicaloperation as the third logical operation. Thus, the semiconductorcircuit may perform the same operation as the semiconductor circuit ofthe above-described present embodiment.

FIG. 10 is a timing chart for explaining the operation of thesemiconductor circuit of FIG. 9.

The value of the input signal D is L in the time sections t1 to t3 andt10 to t12.

In this case, since the value of one input signal among the three inputsignals of the logic gate GL1 is L, the value of the output signal LAT1of the logic gate GL1 becomes H in accordance with the result of theNAND logical operation. In particular, since the value L of the inputsignal D is always input to the logic gate GL1, the value of the outputsignal LAT1 is constant H, irrespective of the value of the clock signalCK.

Meanwhile, the value of the input signal D of the two input signals ofthe logic gate G7 is L, the output signal of the logic gate G7 isconstant H irrespective of the feedback signal FB in accordance with theresult of the NAND logical operation.

Next, because both of the output signal of the logic gate G7 and theoutput signal LAT1 of the logic gate GL1 among the three input signalsof the logic gate GF are H, the feedback signal FB that is an outputsignal of the logic gate GF has a value of the inverted signal of theclock signal CK in accordance with the result of the NAND logicaloperation. That is, when the clock signal CK is H, the feedback signalFB becomes L, and when the clock signal CK is L, the feedback signal FBbecomes H.

In the time sections t3 through t10, the value of the input signal D isa H.

First, when examining the case where the clock signal CK is L, becausethe value of one input signal among the three input signals of the logicgate GL1 is L, i.e., the value of the clock signal CK is L, the value ofthe output signal LAT1 of the logic gate GL1 becomes H in accordancewith the result of the NAND logical operation.

Meanwhile, because the value of one input signal among the three inputsignals of the logic gate GF is L, i.e., the value of the clock signalCK is L, the value of the feedback signal FB that is the output signalof the logic gate GF becomes H in accordance with the result of the NANDlogical operation.

Next, because the value of the input signal D of the two input signalsof the logic gate G7 is H, the output signal of the logic gate G7 has avalue of the inverted signal of the feedback signal FB in accordancewith the result of the NAND logical operation. When the value of theclock signal CK is L, the output signal of the logic gate G7 is L,because the value of the feedback signal FB is H.

Meanwhile, when examining a case where the clock signal CK istransitioned into H, at the point of time of the transition, among thethree input signals of the logic gate GL1, the input signal D and thefeedback signal FB are H, and the clock signal CK is transitioned from Linto H. Thus, the output signal LAT1 is transitioned from H into L.

At this time, as the output signal LAT1 that is one of three inputsignals of the logic gate GF is transitioned from H into L, the feedbacksignal FB is still maintained at H. Further, since the feedback signalFB that is one of the two input signals of the logic gate G7 ismaintained at H, the output signal of the logic gate G7 is maintained atL.

Although the operation of the semiconductor circuit 200 according to thepresent embodiment is substantially the same as that of thesemiconductor circuit 100 described in FIG. 1, it is possible to preventthe feedback signal FB from entering the floating states 20 a, 20 b and20 c at the points of time t4, t6 and t8 at which the input signal D isH and the clock signal CK is transitioned from L into H.

FIG. 11 is a circuit diagram illustrating a semiconductor circuitaccording to still another embodiment of the present disclosure.

Referring to FIG. 11, a semiconductor circuit 210 according to anotherembodiment of the present disclosure differs from the semiconductorcircuit 200 of FIG. 9 in that the former has the enable signal E and thescan-enable signal SE as the input signals.

There is another difference in that the logic gate GL1 of FIG. 9 isreplaced by a composite logic gate 212 that receives the inputs of theenable signal E, the scan-enable signal SE, the clock signal CK and thefeedback signal FB to perform the first sub-logical operation and thesecond sub-logical operation. Specifically, the composite logic gate 212may perform the first sub-logical operation on the enable signal E andthe scan-enable signal SE to generate a first intermediate signal, andmay perform the second sub-logical operation on the first intermediatesignal, the clock signal CK and the feedback signal FB to output thefirst output signal LAT1. In the present embodiment, each of the firstsub-logical operation and the second sub-logical operation may be the ORlogical operation and the NAND logical operation. Thus, the compositelogic gate 212 may be an OR-NAND composite logic gate.

There is still another difference in that the semiconductor circuit 210includes a composite logic gate 216 that receives the inputs of theenable signal E, the scan-enable signal SE and the feedback signal FB toperform the third sub-logical operation and the fourth sub-logicaloperation, instead of the logic gate G7 of FIG. 9. The composite logicgate 216 performs the third sub-logical operation on the enable signal Eand the scan-enable signal SE to generate a second intermediate signal,and performs the fourth sub-logical operation on the second intermediatesignal and the feedback signal FB. In the present embodiment, each ofthe third sub-logical operation and the fourth sub-logical operation maybe the OR logical operation and the NAND logical operation. Thus, thecomposite logic gate 216 may be an OR-NAND composite logic gate.

There is still another difference in that the semiconductor circuit 210further includes an inverter G2 that receives the input of the outputsignal LAT1 and performs the inversion logical operation to output theoutput signal ECK.

Thus, the semiconductor circuit 210 may operate as a high-speed clockgating circuit which receives the inputs of the enable signal E and thescan-enable signal SE.

Meanwhile, in some other embodiments of the present disclosure, thecomposite logic gate 212 may be provided as an AND-NOR composite logicgate that performs each of the AND logical operation and the NOR logicaloperation as the first sub-logical operation and the second sub-logicaloperation, the composite logic gate 216 may be provided as an AND-NORcomposite logic gate that performs each of the AND logical operation andthe NOR logical operation as the third sub-logical operation and thefourth sub-logical operation. In this case, the logic gate GF may beprovided as a 3 input NOR logic gate to perform the same operation asthe semiconductor circuit of the above-described present embodiment.

FIG. 12 is a circuit diagram illustrating a semiconductor circuitaccording to still another embodiment of the present disclosure.

Referring to FIG. 12, a semiconductor circuit 220 according to stillanother embodiment of the present disclosure differs from thesemiconductor circuit 200 of FIG. 9 in that the former further includesa latch 228. The latch 228 receives the output signal LAT1 and theinverted signal of the clock signal CK to output the output signal Q.Although the latch 228 is expressed by a D latch in FIG. 12 forconvenience of explanation, the scope of the present disclosure is notlimited thereto. In some embodiments of the present disclosure, thelatch 228 may be provided as an R-S latch.

Thus, the semiconductor circuit 220 may operate as a flip-flop thatpropagates the input signal D to the output in a section of the clocksignal CK that is H and stores the value in a section of the clocksignal CK that is L.

FIG. 13 is a circuit diagram illustrating a semiconductor circuitaccording to still another embodiment of the present disclosure.

Referring to FIG. 13, a semiconductor circuit 230 according to anotherembodiment of the present disclosure differs from the semiconductorcircuit 200 of FIG. 9 in that the logic gate GL1 of FIG. 9 is replacedby a composite logic gate 232 that receives the inputs of the inputsignal D, the scan-enable signal SE, the clock signal CK and thefeedback signal FB to perform the first sub-logical operation and thesecond sub-logical operation. Specifically, the composite logic gate 232may perform the first sub-logical operation on the input signal D andthe scan-enable signal SE to generate a first intermediate signal, andmay perform the second sub-logical operation on the first intermediatesignal, the clock signal CK and the feedback signal FB to output thefirst output signal LAT1. In the present embodiment, each of the firstsub-logical operation and the second sub-logical operation may be the ORlogical operation and the NAND logical operation. Thus, the compositelogic gate 232 may be an OR-NAND composite logic gate.

There is still another difference in that the semiconductor circuit 230includes a composite logic gate 236 that receives the inputs of theinput signal D, the scan-enable signal SE and the feedback signal FB toperform the third sub-logical operation and the fourth sub-logicaloperation, instead of the logic gate G7 of FIG. 9. The composite logicgate 236 performs the third sub-logical operation on the input signal Dand the scan-enable signal SE to generate a second intermediate signal,and performs the fourth sub-logical operation on the second intermediatesignal and the feedback signal FB. In the present embodiment, each ofthe third sub-logical operation and the fourth sub-logical operation maybe the OR logical operation and the NAND logical operation. Thus, thecomposite logic gate 236 may be an OR-NAND composite logic gate.

There is still another difference in that the logic gate GF of FIG. 9 isreplaced by a composite logic gate 234 that receives the inputs of theoutput signal of the composite logic gate 236, the clock signal CK, thescan-enable signal SE, an inversion of a scan input signal SI and theoutput signal LAT1 to perform the fifth sub-logical operation, the sixthsub-logical operation, the seventh sub-logical operation and the eighthsub-logical operation. Specifically, the composite logic gate 234performs the fifth sub-logical operation on the clock signal CK and theoutput signal of the composite logic gate 236 to generate a thirdintermediate signal, performs the sixth sub-logical operation on thescan-enable signal SE and the inverted signal of the scan input signalSI to generate a fourth intermediate signal, performs the seventhsub-logical operation on the third intermediate signal and the fourthintermediate signal to generate a fifth intermediate signal, andperforms the eighth sub-logical operation on the first output signalLAT1 and the fifth intermediate signal to output a feedback signal FB.In the present embodiment, each of the fifth sub-logical operationthrough the eighth sub-logical operation may be the AND logicaloperation, the AND logical operation, the OR logical operation and theNAND logical operation. Thus, the composite logic gate 234 may be a2AND-OR-NAND composite logic gate.

There is another difference in that the semiconductor circuit 230further includes a latch 238. The latch 238 receives the inputs of theoutput signal LAT1 and the inverted signal of the clock signal CK tooutput an output signal Q. Although the latch 238 is expressed by a Dlatch in FIG. 13 for convenience of explanation, the scope of thepresent disclosure is not limited thereto. In some embodiments of thepresent disclosure, the latch 238 may be provided as an R-S latch.

Thus, the semiconductor circuit 230 may operate as a multiplexer typescan flip-flop that uses the scan-enable signal SE as a selectionsignal.

Meanwhile, in some other embodiments of the present disclosure, thecomposite logic gate 232 is provided as an AND-NOR composite logic gatethat performs each of AND logical operation and the NOR logicaloperation as the first sub-logical operation and the second sub-logicaloperation. The composite logic gate 236 is provided as an AND-NORcomposite logic gate that performs each of the AND logical operation andthe NOR logical operation as the third sub-logical operation and thefourth sub-logical operation. The composite logic gate 234 is providedas a 2OR-AND-NOR composite logic gate that performs each of the ORlogical operation, the OR logical operation, the AND logical operationand the NOR logical operation as the fifth sub-logical operation throughthe eighth sub-logical operation. Thus, the semiconductor circuit 230may perform the same operation as the semiconductor circuit of theabove-described present embodiment.

FIG. 14 is a circuit diagram illustrating a semiconductor circuitaccording to still another embodiment of the present disclosure.

Referring to FIG. 14, a semiconductor circuit 300 according to stillanother embodiment of the present disclosure includes a logic gate 302,a logic gate G7 and a logic gate GF.

The logic gate 302 includes a composite logic gate that receives theinputs of the inverted signal of the output signal LAT1, the inputsignal D, the clock signal CK and the feedback signal FB to perform thefirst sub-logical operation and the second sub-logical operation.Specifically, the logic gate 302 may perform the first sub-logicaloperation on the inverted signal of the output signal LAT1 and the inputsignal D to generate an intermediate signal, and may perform the secondsub-logical operation on the intermediate signal and the clock signal CKto output an output signal LAT1. To this end, the semiconductor circuit300 further includes an inverter G8 that receives the input of theoutput signal LAT1 and performs the inversion logical operation tooutput an inverted signal of the output signal LAT1. In the presentembodiment, each of the first sub-logical operation and the secondsub-logical operation may be the OR logical operation and the NANDlogical operation. Thus, the logic gate 302 may be an OR-NAND compositelogic gate.

The logic gate G7 receives the inputs of the input signal D and thefeedback signal FB to perform a first logical operation.

In the present embodiment, the logic gate G7 may include a NAND logicgate. In this case, the first logical operation may be a NAND logicaloperation.

The logic gate GF receives the inputs of the output signal LAT1 of thelogic gate GL1, the clock signal CK and the output signal of the logicgate G7 and performs the second logical operation to output the feedbacksignal FB.

In the present embodiment, the logic gate GF may include a 3 input NANDlogic gate. In this case, the second logical operation may be a NANDlogical operation.

As described above in connection with FIG. 1, the semiconductor circuitaccording to various embodiments of the present disclosure may also bemodified using different logic gates that perform the same operation,depending on the actual implementation purposes.

For example, in some other embodiments of the present disclosure, thelogic gate GL1 is provided as an AND-NOR composite logic gate thatperforms each of the AND logical operation and the NOR logical operationas the first sub-logical operation and the second sub-logical operation.The logic gate G7 is provided as a NOR logic gate that performs the NORlogical operation as the first logical operation. The logic gate GF isprovided as a 3 input NOR logic gate that performs the NOR logicaloperation as the second logical operation. Thus, the semiconductorcircuit may perform the same operation as the semiconductor circuit ofthe above-described present embodiment.

FIG. 15 is a timing chart for explaining the operation of thesemiconductor circuit of FIG. 14.

In the time sections t1 to t3 and t10 to t12, the value of the inputsignal D is L.

First, when examining a case where the clock signal CK is L, since thevalue of one input signal among the three input signals of the logicgate GL1, i.e., the value of the clock signal CK is L, the value of theoutput signal LAT1 of the logic gate GL1 becomes H in accordance withthe result of the NAND logical operation. Thus, the inverted signal ofthe output signal LAT1 that is input to the composite logic gate 302becomes L.

Meanwhile, since the value of one input signal among the three inputsignals of the logic gate GF is L, i.e., the value of the clock signalCK is L, the value of the feedback signal FB that is an output signal ofthe logic gate GF becomes H in accordance with the result of the NANDlogical operation.

Next, since the value of the input signal D of the two input signals ofthe logic gate G7 is L, the output signal of the logic gate G7 becomes Hin accordance with the result of the NAND logical operation.

Meanwhile, when examining a case where the clock signal CK istransitioned into H, at the point of time of the transition, among thethree input signals of the logic gate GF, the output signal LAT1 and theoutput signal of the logic gate G7 are H, and the clock signal CK istransitioned from L into H. As a result, the feedback signal FB istransitioned from H into L.

At this time, as the feedback signal FB that is one of the three inputsignals of the composite logic gate 302 is transitioned from H into L,the output signal LAT1 is still maintained at H.

Although the operation of the semiconductor circuit 300 according to thepresent embodiment is substantially the same as that of thesemiconductor circuit 200 described in FIG. 9, it is possible to preventthe output signal LAT1 from entering the floating states 30 a and 30 bat the points of time t1 and t11 at which the input signal D is L andthe clock signal CK is transitioned from L into H.

FIG. 16 is a circuit diagram illustrating a semiconductor circuitaccording to still another embodiment of the present disclosure.

Referring to FIG. 16, a semiconductor circuit 310 according to anotherembodiment of the present disclosure differs from the semiconductorcircuit 300 of FIG. 14 in that the former has an enable signal E and ascan-enable signal SE as the input signals.

There is another difference in that the logic gate 302 of FIG. 14 isreplaced by a composite logic gate 312 that receives the inputs of theinverted signal of output signal LAT1, the enable signal E, thescan-enable signal SE, the clock signal CK and the feedback signal FB toperform the third sub-logical operation and the fourth sub-logicaloperation. Specifically, the composite logic gate 312 may perform thethird sub-logical operation on the inverted signal of the output signalLAT1, the enable signal E and the scan-enable signal SE to generate afirst intermediate signal, and may perform the fourth sub-logicaloperation on the first intermediate signal, the clock signal CK and thefeedback signal FB to output a first output signal LAT1. In the presentembodiment, each of the third sub-logical operation and the fourthsub-logical operation may be the OR logical operation and the NANDlogical operation. Thus, the composite logic gate 312 may be an OR-NANDcomposite logic gate. The inversion of the output signal LAT1 may beperformed by an inverter gate G8.

There is another difference in that the semiconductor circuit 310includes a composite logic gate 316 that receives the inputs of theenable signal E, the scan-enable signal SE and the feedback signal FB toperform the fifth sub-logical operation and the sixth sub-logicaloperation, instead of the logic gate G7 of FIG. 14. The composite logicgate 316 performs the fifth sub-logical operation on the enable signal Eand the scan-enable signal SE to generate a second intermediate signal,and performs the sixth sub-logical operation on the second intermediatesignal and the feedback signal FB. In the present embodiment, each ofthe fifth sub-logical operation and the sixth sub-logical operation maybe the OR logical operation and the NAND logical operation. Thus, thecomposite logic gate 316 may be an OR-NAND composite logic gate.

There is still another difference in that the semiconductor circuit 310further includes an inverter G2 that receives the output signal LAT1 andperforms the inversion logical operation to output an output signal ECK.

Thus, the semiconductor circuit 210 may operate as a high-speed clockgating circuit which receives the enable signal E and the scan-enablesignal SE.

Meanwhile, in some other embodiments of the present disclosure, thecomposite logic gate 312 may be provided as an AND-NOR composite logicgate that performs each of the AND logical operation and the NOR logicaloperation as the first sub-logical operation and the second sub-logicaloperation, and the composite logic gate 316 may be provided as anAND-NOR composite logic gate that performs the AND logical operation andthe NOR logical operation as the fifth sub-logical operation and thesixth sub-logical operation. In this case, the logic gate GF may beprovided as a 3 input NOR logic gate to perform the same operation asthe semiconductor circuit of the above-described present embodiment.

FIG. 17 is a circuit diagram illustrating a semiconductor circuitaccording to still another embodiment of the present disclosure.

Referring to FIG. 17, a semiconductor circuit 320 according to stillanother embodiment of the present disclosure differs from thesemiconductor circuit 300 of FIG. 14 in that the former further includesa latch 328. The latch 328 receives the inputs of the output signal LAT1and the inverted signal of the clock signal CK to output an outputsignal Q. Although the latch 328 is expressed by a D latch in FIG. 17for convenience of explanation, the scope of the present disclosure isnot limited thereto. In some embodiments of the present disclosure, thelatch 328 may be provided as an R-S latch.

Thus, the semiconductor circuit 320 may operate as a flip-flop thatpropagates the input signal D to the output in a section of the clocksignal CK that is H, and stores the value in a section of the clocksignal CK that is L.

FIG. 18 is a circuit diagram illustrating a semiconductor circuitaccording to still another embodiment of the present disclosure.

Referring to FIG. 18, a semiconductor circuit 330 according to anotherembodiment of the present disclosure differs from the semiconductorcircuit 300 of FIG. 14 in that the logic gate 302 of FIG. 9 is replacedby a composite logic gate 332 that receives the inputs of the invertedsignal of the output signal LAT1, the input signal D, the scan-enablesignal SE, the clock signal CK and the feedback signal FB to perform thethird sub-logical operation and the fourth sub-logical operation. Thecomposite logic gate 332 may perform the third sub-logical operation onthe inverted signal of the output signal LAT1, the input signal D andthe scan-enable signal SE to generate a first intermediate signal, andmay perform the fourth sub-logical operation on the first intermediatesignal, the clock signal CK and the feedback signal FB to output thefirst output signal LAT1. In the present embodiment, each of the thirdsub-logical operation and the fourth sub-logical operation may be the ORlogical operation and the NAND logical operation. The output signal LAT1may be inverted by the logic gate G8. Thus, the composite logic gate 332may be an OR-NAND composite logic gate.

There is another difference in that the semiconductor circuit 330includes a composite logic gate 336 that receives the inputs of theinput signal D, the scan-enable signal SE and the feedback signal FB toperform the fifth sub-logical operation and the sixth sub-logicaloperation, instead of the logic gate G7 of FIG. 14. The composite logicgate 336 performs the fifth sub-logical operation on the input signal Dand the scan-enable signal SE to generate a second intermediate signal,and performs the sixth sub-logical operation on the second intermediatesignal and the feedback signal FB. In the present embodiment, each ofthe fifth sub-logical operation and the sixth sub-logical operation maybe the OR logical operation and the NAND logical operation. Thus, thecomposite logic gate 336 may be an OR-NAND composite logic gate.

There is still another difference in that the logic gate GF of FIG. 14is replaced by a composite logic gate 334 that receives the inputs ofthe output signal of the composite logic gate 336, the clock signal CK,the scan-enable signal SE, the inverse of a scan input signal SI and theoutput signal LAT1 to perform the seventh sub-logical operation, theeighth sub-logical operation, the ninth sub-logical operation and thetenth sub-logical operation. Specifically, the composite logic gate 334performs the seventh sub-logical operation on the clock signal CK andthe output signal of the composite logic gate 336 to generate a thirdintermediate signal, performs the eighth sub-logical operation on thescan-enable signal SE and the inverted signal of the scan input signalSI to generate a fourth intermediate signal, performs the ninthsub-logical operation on the third intermediate signal and the fourthintermediate signal to generate a fifth intermediate signal, andperforms the tenth sub-logical operation on the first output signal LAT1and the fifth intermediate signal to output a feedback signal FB. In thepresent embodiment, each of the seventh sub-logical operation throughthe tenth sub-logical operation may be the AND logical operation, theAND logical operation, the OR logical operation and the NAND logicaloperation. Thus, the composite logic gate 334 may be a 2AND-OR-NANDcomposite logic gate.

There is still another difference in that the semiconductor circuit 330further includes a latch 338. The latch 338 receives the inputs of theoutput signal LAT1 and an inverted signal of the clock signal CK tooutput an output signal Q. Although the latch 338 is expressed by a Dlatch in FIG. 18 for convenience of explanation, the scope of thepresent disclosure is not limited thereto. In some embodiments of thepresent disclosure, the latch 338 may be provided as an R-S latch.

Thus, the semiconductor circuit 330 may operate as a multiplexer typescan flip-flop that uses the scan-enable signal SE as a selectionsignal.

Meanwhile, in some other embodiments of the present disclosure, thecomposite logic gate 332 is provided as an AND-NOR composite logic gatethat performs each of the AND logical operation and the NOR logicaloperations as the third sub-logical operation and the fourth sub-logicaloperation. The composite logic gate 336 is provided as an AND-NORcomposite logic gate that performs the AND logical operation and the NORlogical operation as the fifth sub-logical operation and the sixthsub-logical operation. The composite logic gate 334 is provided as a2OR-AND-NOR composite logic gate that performs each of the OR logicaloperation, the OR logical operation, the AND logical operation and theNOR logical operation as the seventh sub-logical operation through thetenth sub-logical operation. Thus, the semiconductor circuit 230 mayperform the same operation as the semiconductor circuit of theabove-described present embodiment.

FIG. 19 is a block diagram of an SoC system including the semiconductorcircuit according to the embodiments of the present disclosure.

Referring to FIG. 9, the SoC 1000 includes an application processor 1001and a DRAM 1060.

The application processor 1001 may include a central processing unit1010, a multimedia system 1020, a bus 1030, a memory system 1040 and aperipheral circuit 1050.

The central processing unit 1010 may perform the operations required fordriving the SoC system 1000. In some embodiments of the presentdisclosure, the central processing unit 1010 may be constituted by amulti-core environment that includes multiple cores.

The multimedia system 1020 may be used to perform various multimediafunctions in the SoC system 1000. The multimedia system 1020 may includea 3D engine module, a video codec, a display system, a camera system, apost-processor and the like.

The bus 1030 may be used to perform mutual data communication of thecentral processing unit 1010, the multimedia system 1020, the memorysystem 1040 and the peripheral circuit 1050. In some embodiments of thepresent disclosure, the bus 1030 may have a multilayer structure.Specifically, as an example of the bus 1030, but not limited to, amultilayer advanced high-performance bus (AHB) or a multilayer advancedextensible interface (AXI) may be used.

The memory system 1040 may provide an environment needed for theapplication processor 1001 to be connected to an external memory (e.g.,the DRAM 1060) and operate at high speed. In some embodiments of thepresent disclosure, the memory system 1040 may include a separatecontroller (e.g., a DRAM controller) needed to control the externalmemory (e.g., the DRAM 1060).

The peripheral circuit 1050 may provide an environment needed for theSoC system 1000 to smoothly connect to an external device (e.g., a mainboard). Accordingly, the peripheral circuit 1050 may include variousinterfaces that enable the external device connected to the SoC system1000 to be compatible with the SoC system 1000.

The DRAM 1060 may function as an operating memory needed for theoperation of the application processor 1001. In some embodiments of thepresent disclosure, the DRAM 1060 may be disposed outside theapplication processor 1001 as illustrated. Specifically, the DRAM 1060may be packaged with the application processor 1001 in the form ofpackage on package (PoP).

At least one of the constituents of such a SoC 1000 may adopt any one ofthe semiconductor circuits according to the above-described embodimentsof the present disclosure.

FIG. 20 is a block diagram of an electronic system including thesemiconductor circuit according to the embodiments of the presentdisclosure.

Referring to FIG. 20, an electronic system 1100 including thesemiconductor circuit according to the embodiment of the presentdisclosure may include a controller 1110, an input/output (I/O) device1120, a memory device 1130, an interface 1140 and a bus 1150. Thecontroller 1110, the I/O device 1120, the memory device 1130 and/or theinterface 1140 may be coupled to one another through the bus 1150. Thebus 1150 corresponds to a path through which the data are moved.

The controller 1110 may include at least one of a microprocessor, adigital signal processor, a microcontroller and logic devices capable ofperforming functions similar to these devices. The I/O device 1120 mayinclude a keypad, a keyboard, a display device and the like. The memorydevice 1130 may store data and/or commands. The interface 1140 may serveto transmit data to or receive data from a communication network. Theinterface 1140 may be a wired or wireless interface. For example, theinterface 1140 may include an antenna or a wired or wirelesstransceiver.

Although it is not illustrated, the electronic system 1100 may alsoinclude a high-speed DRAM or SRAM, as an operating memory for improvingthe operation of the controller 1110.

The electronic system 1100 may be applied to a personal digitalassistant (PDA), a portable computer, a web tablet, a wireless phone, amobile phone, a digital music player, a memory card or all types ofelectronic products capable of transmitting or receiving information ina wireless environment.

At least one of the constituents of the electronic system 1100 may adoptany one of the semiconductor circuits according to the above-describedembodiments of the present disclosure.

FIGS. 21 through 23 are diagrams illustrating examples of asemiconductor system to which the semiconductor circuits according tosome embodiments of the present disclosure can be applied.

FIG. 21 illustrates a tablet personal computer (PC) 1200, FIG. 22illustrates a notebook computer 1300, and FIG. 23 illustrates a smartphone 1400. At least one of the semiconductor circuits according to theembodiments of the present disclosure may be used in the tablet PC 1200,the notebook computer 1300, the smart phone 1400 and the like.

Further, it is obvious to a person skilled in the art that thesemiconductor circuits according to some embodiments of the presentdisclosure may also be applied to other IC devices other than those setforth herein. That is, while only the tablet PC 1200, the notebookcomputer 1300 and the smart phone 1400 have been described above asexamples of the semiconductor system according to this embodiment, theexamples of the semiconductor system according to the present embodimentare not limited thereto. In some embodiments of the present disclosure,the semiconductor system may be provided as a computer, an Ultra MobilePC (UMPC), a work station, a net-book computer, a personal digitalassistant (PDA), a portable computer, a wireless phone, a mobile phone,an e-book, a portable multimedia player (PMP), a portable game console,a navigation device, a black box, a digital camera, a 3-dimensionaltelevision set, a digital audio recorder, a digital audio player, adigital picture recorder, a digital picture player, a digital videorecorder, a digital video player, etc.

As is traditional in the field, embodiments may be described andillustrated in terms of blocks which carry out a described function orfunctions. These blocks, which may be referred to herein as units ormodules or the like, are physically implemented by analog and/or digitalcircuits such as logic gates, integrated circuits, microprocessors,microcontrollers, memory circuits, passive electronic components, activeelectronic components, optical components, hardwired circuits and thelike, and may optionally be driven by firmware and/or software. Thecircuits may, for example, be embodied in one or more semiconductorchips, or on substrate supports such as printed circuit boards and thelike. The circuits constituting a block may be implemented by dedicatedhardware, or by a processor (e.g., one or more programmedmicroprocessors and associated circuitry), or by a combination ofdedicated hardware to perform some functions of the block and aprocessor to perform other functions of the block. Each block of theembodiments may be physically separated into two or more interacting anddiscrete blocks without departing from the scope of the disclosure.Likewise, the blocks of the embodiments may be physically combined intomore complex blocks without departing from the scope of the disclosure.

While the present disclosure has been particularly illustrated anddescribed with reference to exemplary embodiments thereof, it will beunderstood by those of ordinary skill in the art that various changes inform and detail may be made therein without departing from the spiritand scope of the present disclosure as defined by the following claims.The exemplary embodiments should be considered in a descriptive senseonly and not for purposes of limitation.

1. A semiconductor circuit comprising: a first logic gate that receivesinputs of a first input signal, a clock signal and a feedback signal andperforms a first logical operation to output a first output signal; anda second logic gate that receives inputs of the first output signal ofthe first logic gate, the clock signal, and an inverted output signal ofthe first input signal and performs a second logical operation to outputthe feedback signal.
 2. The semiconductor circuit of claim 1, furthercomprising an inverter that receives the input of first input signal andperforms an inversion logical operation to output the inverted outputsignal.
 3. The semiconductor circuit of claim 1, wherein: the firstlogic gate comprises at least one of a 3 input NAND logic gate, anOR-NAND composite logic gate and an AND-OR-NAND composite logic gate,and the second logic gate comprises at least one of a 3 input NAND logicgate, a 2AND-OR-NAND composite logic gate and an AND-OR-NAND compositelogic gate.
 4. The semiconductor circuit of claim 1, wherein: the firstlogic gate comprises at least one of a 3 input NOR logic gate, anAND-NOR composite logic gate and an OR-AND-NOR composite logic gate, andthe second logic gate comprises at least one of a 3 input NOR logicgate, a 2OR-AND-NOR composite logic gate and an OR-AND-NOR compositelogic gate.
 5. The semiconductor circuit of claim 1, wherein: the firstinput signal comprises an enable signal and a scan-enable signal, andthe first logic gate comprises a composite logic gate that performs afirst sub-logical operation on the enable signal and the scan-enablesignal to generate a first intermediate signal, and performs a secondsub-logical operation on the first intermediate signal, the clock signaland the feedback signal to output the first output signal. 6-7.(canceled)
 8. The semiconductor circuit of claim 1, further comprisingan inverter that receives the input of the first output signal andperforms an inversion logical operation to output a second outputsignal.
 9. The semiconductor circuit of claim 1, further comprising alatch that receives the inputs of the first output signal and aninverted signal of the clock signal to output a second output signal.10. (canceled)
 11. The semiconductor circuit of claim 1, wherein: thefirst input signal further comprises a second input signal and ascan-enable signal, and the first logic gate comprises a composite logicgate that performs a first sub-logical operation on the second inputsignal and the scan-enable signal to generate a first intermediatesignal, and performs a second sub-logical operation on the firstintermediate signal, the clock signal and the feedback signal to outputthe first output signal. 12-18. (canceled)
 19. The semiconductor circuitof claim 1, wherein: the first input signal comprises a third inputsignal, a fourth input signal and a scan-enable signal, and the firstlogic gate comprises a composite logic gate that performs a firstsub-logical operation on the third input signal, the fourth input signaland the scan-enable signal to generate a first intermediate signal, andperforms a second sub-logical operation on the first intermediatesignal, the clock signal and the feedback signal to output the firstoutput signal. 20-24. (canceled)
 25. The semiconductor circuit of claim1, wherein: the first input signal comprises a third input signal, afourth input signal and a scan-enable signal, and the first logic gatecomprises a composite logic gate that performs a first sub-logicaloperation on the third input signal and the fourth input signal togenerate a first intermediate signal, performs a second sub-logicaloperation on the first intermediate signal and the scan-enable signal togenerate a second intermediate signal, and performs a third sub-logicaloperation on the second intermediate signal, the clock signal and thefeedback signal to output the first output signal. 26-30. (canceled) 31.A semiconductor circuit comprising: a first logic gate that receivesinputs of a first input signal, a clock signal and a feedback signal andperforms a first logical operation to output a first output signal; asecond logic gate that receives inputs of a first input signal and thefeedback signal, and performs a second logical operation; and a thirdlogic gate that receives inputs of the first output signal of the firstlogic gate, the clock signal and an output signal of the second logicgate and performs a third logical operation to output the feedbacksignal.
 32. The semiconductor circuit of claim 31, wherein: the firstlogic gate comprises at least one of a 3 input NAND logic gate and anOR-NAND composite logic gate, and the third logic gate comprises atleast one of a 3 input NAND logic gate and a 2AND-OR-NAND compositelogic gate.
 33. The semiconductor circuit of claim 31, wherein: thefirst logic gate comprises at least one of a 3 input NOR logic gate andan AND-NOR composite logic gate, and the third logic gate comprises atleast one of the 3 input NOR logic gate and a 2OR-AND-NOR compositelogic gate.
 34. The semiconductor circuit of claim 31, wherein: thefirst input signal comprises an enable signal and a scan-enable signal,and the first logic gate comprises a composite logic gate that performsa first sub-logical operation on the enable signal and the scan-enablesignal to generate a first intermediate signal, and performs a secondsub-logical operation on the first intermediate signal, the clock signaland the feedback signal to output the first output signal. 35-37.(canceled)
 38. The semiconductor circuit of claim 31, further comprisingan inverter that receives the input of the first output signal andperforms an inversion logical operation to output a second outputsignal.
 39. The semiconductor circuit of claim 31, further comprising alatch that receives the inputs of the first output signal and aninverted signal of the clock signal to output a second output signal.40. (canceled)
 41. The semiconductor circuit of claim 31, wherein: thefirst input signal comprises a second input signal and a scan-enablesignal, and the first logic gate comprises a composite logic gate thatperforms a first sub-logical operation on the second input signal andthe scan-enable signal to generate a first intermediate signal, andperforms a second sub-logical operation on the first intermediatesignal, the clock signal and the feedback signal to output the firstoutput signal. 42-46. (canceled)
 47. A semiconductor circuit comprising:a first logic gate that receives inputs of a second input signal, aclock signal and a feedback signal and performs a second sub-logicaloperation to output a first output signal, the second input signal beinggenerated by performing a first sub-logical operation on an invertedsignal of the first output signal and a first input signal; a secondlogic gate that receives inputs of the first input signal and thefeedback signal to perform a first logical operation; and a third logicgate that receives inputs of the first output signal of the first logicgate, the clock signal and an output signal of the second logic gate andperforms a second logical operation to output the feedback signal. 48.The semiconductor circuit of claim 47, further comprising an inverterthat receives the input of the first output signal and performs aninversion logical operation to output the inverted signal of the firstoutput signal.
 49. The semiconductor circuit of claim 47, wherein: thefirst logic gate comprises an OR-NAND composite logic gate, the secondlogic gate comprises at least one of a NAND logic gate and an OR-NANDcomposite logic gate, and the third logic gate comprises at least one ofa 3 input NAND logic gate and a 2AND-OR-NAND composite logic gate.50-63. (canceled)